Yvan Cournoyer takes the call, as always. “It’s a day that we will remember for a long time, you don’t bother me,” he says on the phone.
Posted at 10:02
Like all of Quebec, Cournoyer is shaken on this Friday morning when we learned of the death of Guy Lafleur, his legendary former teammate.
“It’s like when John [Béliveau] left us… I had gone to see Jean a few days before his death. There, I knew Guy was leaving, but when it happens, it’s not funny. »
The last time he saw him was at a dinner with several former players, on the occasion of the 70and Lafleur’s birthday party, at the Vieux four Manago, in Kirkland. Before that, they had seen each other at the Bell Center in the Stanley Cup final last summer.
“We ate together. He hadn’t let it appear that he was ill.
“A journalist asked him who had helped him the most. He replied: “Henri and Yvan”. I still remember his first training session with us in Verdun. I told myself that we had a good hockey player and that we would win several Stanley Cups with him. I was not too wrong. »
Cournoyer’s voice breaks at this moment. In the background, the incessant sound of another phone ringing. That’s what happens when the last member of what many consider the Canadian’s Holy Trinity leaves us.
“I’m going to start being alone a bit,” says Cournoyer, himself a 10-time Stanley Cup winner.
“Every time we saw each other, we held hands and looked each other in the eye. »
Texts
Pierre Bouchard was also present for the famous Lafleur 70th anniversary lunch. He too is the last time he saw the former number 10.
“Then I would text him, he would respond with thumbs up. He texted me on my birthday, February 20. “Happy birthday, take care of your health.” He’s been sleeping a lot lately. »
How was he in the disease? “I think he was resilient. He didn’t complain, he was never a complainer. He remained involved with the Fondation du CHUM. He was a very generous guy. He was grateful for his fans, he cared about his fans. He was a non-condescending star, good with his fans. That’s why the Canadian kept him as an ambassador, even if Guy warmed their ears from time to time! He didn’t hesitate to say what he thought, a bit like Maurice Richard. »
According to Bouchard, piloting a helicopter was what Lafleur had missed the most lately. “He had developed this passion, but after his operations, he could not keep his licenses.
“He was quite impulsive as a player… I thought to myself that as a driver, you can’t be impulsive. I teased him, I told him that I would never board with him! But when Guy discovered a passion, he threw himself into it, he was excellent and driving was his last great passion. »